Scientists developed a polymer that can deliver oxygen for germination on Mars

[Judi Lynn]

For the first time, researchers have grown plants in a Mars-like environment.

Florian Lienert by Florian Lienert June 15, 2020 in Astronomy, Chemistry, Science

Although it’s little more than a barren wasteland nowadays, our planetary neighbor Mars is similar in many ways to Earth. Its length of day, dry surface area, and general relief are similar to those on Earth, which makes the Red Planet a prime target for an eventual colonization attempt.

But if we want to set up a permanent settlement on this telluric planet, there are many challenges we need to overcome — one of them, the sustainable cultivation of edible crops, has just made a revolutionary leap forward.

In a recently published paper, researchers John G. MacDonald, Karien Rodriguez and Stephen Quirk developed an oxygen delivery polymer that enabled the first successful germination in a Mars-like environment.



Sirenum Fossae – a long trough on Mars. Image credits: NASA

From seed to seedling

On Mars, there already are already some resources that we can use to grow harvestable plants. For instance, the layer of loose, soil-like material called regolith contains chemical elements such as phosphorous, iron, and potassium — all of which are needed for most plants to grow. However, until now, it has not been possible to successfully germinate plants conditions such as those on Mars.

More:
https://www.zmescience.com/science/grow-plants-on-mars-oxygen-polymer-15062020/

[marble falls]

1. Lets put the Trump clan on the first colonist rocket.

[RGinNJ]

2. With no magnetosphere the first sun flare will kill anything on the Mars surface.

[Warpy]

3. That and the soil chemistry is wildly different

They'd have to grow anything under cover and probably with supplemental light. The problem of what to grow it in might be the unsurmountable one, that and generating enough clean water to do the job.

My guess is that any exploration station along with attempts at Earth agriculture on a planet unsuitable to it will have to be deep inside ancient lava tubes and even then, the obstacles are staggering.

Best idea is mechanized exploration.

[dubyadiprecession]

4. The excessive radiation and extreme cold...

Makes me want to stay on good ole terra firma.
But if someone could convince the trump clan on going there for “super terrific, real estate opportunities, I’m all for it!